Novice diver, tried Backplate and wing and looking for recommendations

[Tassie_Rohan]

New diver (35 dives) also looking for my first BP/W. Based on budget looking at DGX and Hog. With aluminum plate, single tank adapter, and 30-32 wing, and harness and steel hardware looking at about 8-9lbs. Is that heavy or par for the course?

I'd say that's near perfect. I dive a near identical set up and with a 3mm wetsuit and the buoyant aluminum tanks tropical dive resorts seem to love I need ~6 lb lead.

If you need less weight you can remove the STA and just thread the tank cam bands through the slots in the wing and plate for an even more minimalist approach. For cold water dives add some weight pouches to the tank bands and/or ziptie some to the backplate.

Do note there's a difference between weight in air of your kit (8-9 lb) and buoyancy in water (~-1-2 lb?). Al plate-wing-harness set ups aren't that negative unless you add steel STA and cam bands.

I'm trying to think of a situation where a soft plate is warranted over an Al plate. The only upside I can think is packing weight.

Cheers
Rohan

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

New diver (35 dives) also looking for my first BP/W. Based on budget looking at DGX and Hog. With aluminum plate, single tank adapter, and 30-32 wing, and harness and steel hardware looking at about 8-9lbs. Is that heavy or par for the course? Have the option of a "soft plate" with HOG which will shave off about 2 pounds but wandering if that defeats the purpose. Will be diving cold water in Northern CA and NY (7mm and 50 degree water) a handful of times a year but primarily traveling to dive in warm water so trying to keep the weight down. But, plan on some deep blue/ocean/liveaboards in case that makes a difference as to hard plate and soft plate.

Where in Northern California?
You could get an aluminum plate which you could make work in Norcal by just using a bigger weightbelt. You could also use a weighted STA and use the heaviest steel tank you can find. If you can handle a 120 use that.
Then for tropical diving, ditch the STA and off you go with a light aluminum plate.
A 30lb wing will work for both. I like the DGX 30 lb donut wing.

 

[ABLAB]

I'd say that's near perfect. I dive a near identical set up and with a 3mm wetsuit and the buoyant aluminum tanks tropical dive resorts seem to love I need ~6 lb lead.

If you need less weight you can remove the STA and just thread the tank cam bands through the slots in the wing and plate for an even more minimalist approach. For cold water dives add some weight pouches to the tank bands and/or ziptie some to the backplate.

Do note there's a difference between weight in air of your kit (8-9 lb) and buoyancy in water (~-1-2 lb?). Al plate-wing-harness set ups aren't that negative unless you add steel STA and cam bands.

I'm trying to think of a situation where a soft plate is warranted over an Al plate. The only upside I can think is packing weight.

Cheers
Rohan

Thank you Rohan. Super helpful.

 

[ABLAB]

Where in Northern California?
You could get an aluminum plate which you could make work in Norcal by just using a bigger weightbelt. You could also use a weighted STA and use the heaviest steel tank you can find. If you can handle a 120 use that.
Then for tropical diving, ditch the STA and off you go with a light aluminum plate.
A 30lb wing will work for both. I like the DGX 30 lb donut wing.

Thanks. Very helpful tips.

I visit family in SF a few times a year and gonna start diving Monterey. 1st dive will be this March. Would appreciate any tips if you're familiar. Looking at Aquarius and Bamboo reefs. Probably will avoid diving summer and early fall. Not too keen on crossing paths with great whites in low visibility unless I'm in a cage.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Thanks. Very helpful tips.

I visit family in SF a few times a year and gonna start diving Monterey. 1st dive will be this March. Would appreciate any tips if you're familiar. Looking at Aquarius and Bamboo reefs. Probably will avoid diving summer and early fall. Not too keen on crossing paths with great whites in low visibility unless I'm in a cage.

I wouldn’t worry about whites.
The large majority of divers in this area have never seen one and some people who have been diving
regularly for 30-50 years have never encountered one. The only people I know who see them on a regular basis are the commercial urchin guys who dive out at the Farallons. Very rarely does anyone get buzzed up here. If they do it’s really a freak thing that usually just ends up as a check out and then they leave.
To me it’s a non issue.
In Monterey start at the Breakwater and do some shore dives there. After that maybe find a few buddies and do Point Lobos. You can do boat dives too. It’s been a long time since I’ve been on a boat in Monterey so someone else will have to fill you in on that. I know it’s not the same as I remember it.

 

[ABLAB]

Going out with either Aquarius or Bamboo reefs the first trip on guided dives to get my bearing and expand from there. Have read Breakwater is a good starting point. People seem to really like Point Lobos. I forget which one but one of the two shops I mentioned does boat dives. Hoping to get in about 10 dives a year in Monterey.